I realize I have not actually said anything about Chanukah, so here are some facts:

1) The Jewish day begins at night, which is the reason I keep starting these giveaways at around 4:30 EST – that’s when sundown is here in NYC.

2) You might wonder why some people spell it Hanukkah and some Chanukah, or various variations on those. The difference there is between Hebrew and English. The Hebrew word “Chanukah” (which, by the way, means “dedication”) indeed begins with a gutteral “ch/kh” sound, which does not have an English equivalent. As such, the anglicized version of the word, which can be pronounced by any English speaker, is “Hanukkah.” I, however, speak Hebrew, and when I talk about the holiday, I refer to it with its Hebrew pronunciation.

3) The actual story of Chanukah is probably something you should just Google, but the focus is on two big miracles – a small Jewish army beating a larger Greek one, and oil that should’ve only been enough for one day lasting for eight. (Hence why Chanukah is eight days long.) The oil is the reason we celebrate in part by eating fried foods, which for some reason ended up being latkes (potato pancakes) and jelly doughnuts. No idea where the jelly part came from.

OKAY, now that that lesson’s over, let’s talk about today’s giveaway! It comes in the form of an ARC from Katie Cotugno, and it’s for her sophomore novel, 99 Days. It is a horribly kept secret that How to Love, Katie’s debut, was one of my favorite YAs of 2013, and so much of what I loved about that first book is replicated here, in an entirely new story.

Because the magic of Katie Cotugno’s writing is this: She captures the most flawed, emotional, human sides of gray morality. We don’t always get to control whether we forgive someone; sometimes, you just love someone so much you can’t help it. We can’t always control who we love. We can’t always say no to things just because we know we should, because we know it’s right. Those are things I still feel at 30; I sure as hell felt them at 17.

If you have zero tolerance for cheating or love triangles, this isn’t your book. But if you want to see them handled deftly, thoughtfully, and honestly, put this book on your TBR, stat.

As with all 8 Days of Chanukah giveaways, this is international and the winner will be selected on January 1.And of course, it comes with a bookmark, in this case one belonging to another of my favorite 2015 books, also from Balzer + Bray!

Why hello there, and thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m about to make it very worth your while. Because yes, everyone’s doing the whole Top 10 of 2013 thing, but, with the help of some truly epic authors, I’m dragging out my book love for an entire week.

Welcome to Dahlia’s Top 10 of 2013: Two books a day for five days, a number of which are featured with a little something special – an interview with the author of said book that will hopefully help give a little bit fuller an experience of reading them.

Today, I’m gonna open the miniseries with two of my favorite love stories of the year, but it’s not only the romances that have me putting these two books together. Actually, HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno and THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West have the distinct honor of being the two books this year that raised a very, very specific anxiety in me while reading:

I knew, as soon as I was a couple of chapters deep into each, that I wasn’t going to think they were long enough. Not because of an abrupt ending, or poor pacing, or anything like that – simply because I knew I wasn’t going to be ready to leave these voices and characters at whatever point these authors respectively declared The End.

I was right, about both. But I loved them both anyway 😉

So, here are the books!

HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

So, this was actually one of my last reads of 2013, and though it was on my TBR for months, I rushed to buy and read it thanks to the lovely Katy Upperman, who gave me the feeling it might be a contender for my top 10. It absolutely, no-brainer-ly was, and I e-mailed Katie ASAP to see if she’d participate and share a little more about one of my favorite reads of the year, and she super-graciously and super-speedily obliged!

(I’ll skip my gushing about the book itself, because it’s probably my longest Goodreads review of the year; just check that out instead!)

What scene from HOW TO LOVE would/do you read at signings, and why? I actually haven’t done a reading yet, but I’m super excited about the idea! I think I’d do the Beforescene where Sawyer takes Reena out for ice cream–it’s one of their first big scenes together, and it ends with the book’s first real twist. Plus: kissing.

I want to enjoy HOW TO LOVE as part of a full sensory experience – where am I reading it, and what am I eating/smelling/listening to? Music plays a huge role in HOW TO LOVE–the Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis that Leo and Sawyer listen to, the Sam Cooke that plays in the restaurant. Beach smells, pomegranates, the rush of the highway outside the car window–all those things will always remind me of this book.

My book dream is to spot a stranger reading it on the subway – what’s yours? I actually had a friend tell me she spotted somebody reading HOW TO LOVE on the subway, and I died a little of happiness and glee–but what I think I want most is to write somebody’s favorite novel, the one they come back to over and over again.

What’s the best/coolest thing anyone’s said about your book? I actually just got an email from a teen reader who told me that reading about Reena’s struggles is helping her get through some crappy times of her own–you always wish and hope for that kind of thing as an author, but to have it actually happen knocked me back a bit in the best possible way.

From where would you most ideally want people to purchase your book?You know, I’m lucky enough to have a super amazing indie bookstore a five-minute walk from my office (what up, Brookline Booksmith!) but I totally get that not everyone does–not to mention the fact that I love Barnes and Noble so much that when I was homesick my freshman year of college I used to go there specifically to smell the book-air. Basically: be free! Live your book-buying dreams! Whatever blows your hair back! etc. etc.

*********

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she’s beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

I have a Kasie West confession: I haven’t yet read PIVOT POINT. I will, obviously, but until I read THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, I had no idea how desperately I’d be salivating for anything else ever penned by her hand, even if it (gasp!) isn’t Contemporary. I say this here to make the point that there is another book out there from 2013 by the same author that is apparently at least as good, which is a scary, crazy thing.

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US is a straight-up romance, and it’s one between two characters I just wanted to hang out with constantly. Sometimes, that’s just the best thing you can ask for. But if you want the full experience of it, voila, here’s Kasie West herself to tell you how to get it:

What scene from THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US would/do you read at signings, and why? I do not like to read from my own book at signings. It makes me super nervous. But, since this is a hypothetical question, one of my very favorite scenes (that doesn’t give too much away) that I’d like to do at a signing comes at the end of chapter 4 and goes like this:

He pockets his phone. “Caymen.”

“Xander.”

“Does this mean I won the game?”

“I didn’t realize we were playing a game.”

He picks up the doll and backs away with his lower-lip-biting smile. “I think you did.”

I love this scene because it’s their first hint of obvious flirting. It’s the scene where we know Xander is interested and that he’s in it.

I want to enjoy THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US as part of a full sensory experience – where am I reading it, and what am I eating/smelling/listening to? Well, to get the full experience, you’d read it in a porcelain doll store, with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. It’d be fall and the leaves outside the window would be changing colors and providing that crisp cold scent of fall. In the background your friend would be playing some acoustic guitar. That would definitely give you the feel of this book.

My book dream is to spot a stranger reading it on the subway – what’s yours? That’s a pretty awesome book dream that I share with you. I love to see my book in airport bookstores too. It makes me happy. Really, my book dream has already come true, my book is in the world and people are reading it. That is more than I ever thought possible.

What’s the best/coolest thing anyone’s said about your book? I love it when people tell me they relate to it or that it helped them out of a book slump or that it helped them somehow in their own lives. It makes me feel good to hear that. Really, just hearing from readers in general is the coolest experience ever.

From where would you most ideally want people to purchase your book? You know, I like people to purchase a book from wherever they feel best about purchasing a book. Some people don’t have a convenient bookstore close and have to purchase online. As long as people are reading, that makes me happy.

*********

Are either of these books on your top 10 of 2013? If you haven’t read them yet, have they made it to your TBR? Tell us in the comments!

So, even though I have blog posts coming up every day for the next two weeks that are all about books I loved tremendously from the past year, obviously when I saw this post on Kari Bradley’s blog as part of Jamie/the Perpetual Page Turner’s bloghop, I got all jealous and had to do one myself. So, voila!

(As per Jamie, The survey is for books you read throughout the year, no matter when they were published, and is not limited to just books that came out in 2013!!)

BEST BOOKS IN 2013

I’m gonna take a page from Jamie at the Perpetual Page Turner’s post and do my fave per genre, because picking just one is not gonna happen:

CODE NAME VERITY. I so badly wanted to feel everyone else’s love for it, especially since I love histfic and a good friendship book, but alas, it just wasn’t for me at all. The other big one was ROOMIES, which is by two of my favorite authors and has a great premise but again, just didn’t click with me. Subjectivity FTW!

MOST SURPRISING (IN A GOOD WAY!) BOOK OF 2013

THE ART OF WISHING by Lindsay Ribar. I am so, so not a Paranormal reader, and I was on the fence about buying it to start with, but did so because I was at a huge signing where she was one of the authors, and a mutual friend there convinced me it was definitely worth reading. Fast forward to my loving it so much that I refused to put it down even when I was making both me and my husband late. Whatever. Worth it.

BOOK YOU READ IN 2013 THAT YOU RECOMMENDED TO PEOPLE MOST IN 2013?

UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder, no question. It’s definitely not most people’s usual read, and I love how many people trusted my recommendation enough to step outside their comfort zones. I don’t think a single person who read it was sorry they did!

BEST SERIES YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013

The DIVERGENT trilogy by Veronica Roth. Being that I’m not a big non-contemp reader, it took me a while to pick this one up. But I finally did, and am definitely glad for it!

FAVORITE NEW AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013

Tough call. I read a lot of great authors for the first time in 2013, but since I read two solid books by Trish Doller for the first time this year, one of which was a five-star for me, I’ll have to go with her.

BEST BOOK THAT WAS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE OR A NEW GENRE FOR YOU

Given that I copy edit erotica for a living, my “comfort zone” is a little different than other people’s 😉 So, I’m gonna go in the opposite direction from most and say ALL FOUR STARS by Tara Dairman, which was, in fact, the first MG I’ve read as an adult, and is super freaking cute and felt delightfully foodie in a way that didn’t feel downplayed for a young audience.

MOST THRILLING, UNPUTDOWNABLE BOOK OF 2013

DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas. But, I do want to give a nod to some other books I only put down out of sheer necessity and would otherwise have happily read in one sitting this year: NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Halbrook, SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL by Trish Doller, THE ART OF WISHING by Lindsay Ribar, and THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin.

BOOK YOU READ IN 2013 THAT YOU ARE LIKELY TO RE-READ IN THE COMING YEAR

UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder. I’ve already re-read it. It’s become my “I’m on the subway and I’m not in the mood for anything else on my Kindle” book.

It’s hard to separate books having an impact on me as a writer vs. as a reader, because, well, I’m very much both. I think what really impacted me this year was the discussion of Unlikeable (female) MCs, and my realization that I’d rather have characters be flawed than unbelievable. The book that really started this conversation in my brain this year was THE DISENCHANTMENTS by Nina LaCour, and HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno is the one that finished it. Incidentially, both were five-star reads for me in 2013.

The clear winner, though, for book that had the greatest impact on me as a person as OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu. It’s taught me what it truly means to have an anxiety disorder, and though Bea’s might be an extreme case, it’s actually pretty amazing how many times I’ve talked myself off the metaphorical ledge by remembering “That is an anxiety disorder. You do not have that. You are going to be fine.”

BOOK YOU CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WAITED UNTIL 2013 TO FINALLY READ

I actually read almost entirely 2012-4 books this year, with the exception of trilogies that are outside my genre, so, I guess AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson, just because it’s such a me kind of premise and it came out a whole three years ago.

FAVORITE PASSAGE/QUOTE FROM A BOOK YOU READ IN 2013

“I respect people who get nerdy as fuck about something they love.” – UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder

SHORTEST AND LONGEST BOOK YOU READ IN 2013

I’m just gonna have to guess. Shortest was probably NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Halbrook, at 292 pages, and longest was probably WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel, at 604 pages.

BOOK THAT HAD A SCENE THAT HAD ME REELING/DYING TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart could’ve been a lot worse if I weren’t in public. AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR definitely got a few tears out of me, as did KK Hendin’s HEART BREATHS. I’m sure I had some scattered through the Divergent trilogy. But I think that’s it? I hope? Maybe?

BOOK YOU READ IN 2013 THAT YOU THOUGHT GOT OVERLOOKED THIS YEAR OR WHEN IT CAME OUT

I think Laura Wiess is criminally overlooked as an author of dark contemp YA, and I continued to feel that way after reading ORDINARY BEAUTY this year. DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas is another one that got shockingly little attention for being so good, but friends and I are definitely working to change that!

BOOK BLOGGING/READING LIFE 2013

NEW FAVORITE BOOK BLOG YOU DISCOVERED IN 2013

Reader of Fictions. Hi, my name is Dahlia Adler and I’m addicted to Cover Snark. And yes, partly because the snark cracks me up, but also because it’s a great way to discover books I hadn’t previously heard of, and I love that it encompasses all different pub paths.

FAVORITE REVIEW THAT YOU WROTE IN 2013

Probably this one for HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno, because it reflects a lot on the conversation I’ve been having with myself that I referenced above.

BEST DISCUSSION YOU HAD ON YOUR BLOG

I love the comments on this post about Power and Responsibility in Kidlit. At the time, I thought people found it annoying/inflating when bloggers responded to every comment, so I didn’t, but there are a bunch of interesting things being said!

MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING REVIEW OR DISCUSSION YOU READ ON SOMEONE ELSE’S BLOG

Definitely this interview Heather of the Flyleaf Review did with Leah Raeder. It’s such a great discussion of “bad girls” in NA, sexual honesty in YA, and why even “sexed-up YA” might not be such a terrible thing.

BEST EVENT THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN

The huge author signing at Books of Wonder that was part of Teen Author Festival. I got to meet and have books signed by Diana Peterfreund, AS King, Rainbow Rowell, Lindsay Ribar, Amy Spalding, and Nova Ren Suma, and I even got pictures with a couple of them. I also met lovely agents Sarah LaPolla and Bridget Smith. So, yeah, kinda tough to beat!

Teen Author Festival. Did not even know it was a thing. Pretty sure I owe Emily Keyes for this one!

READING CHALLENGES/GOALS

I originally set my Goodreads challenge at 75. Then when I saw I was killing it, I bumped it up to 100. Then again, 125. Now I’m past 130 and I’m just leaving it, but yes, I met it.

The other challenges I had for myself were to read five non-contemp books, which I definitely did (THE ART OF WISHING, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER, DIVERGENT, INSURGENT, ALLEGIANT, FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, to name a bunch), and five MG books, which, sadly, I didn’t – ALL FOUR STARS by Tara Dairman was my only one.

LOOKING AHEAD

ONE BOOK YOU DIDN’T GET TO IN 2013 THAT WILL BE A PRIORITY IN 2014

PIVOT POINT by Kasie West. I originally avoided it for being non-contemp but I’ve heard such great things and I know from THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US that I’m a fan of her writing style, so I’ll be grabbing it as soon as it comes out in paperback at the end of the month.

Re: blogging, I definitely want to blog more about the debut process, once I know a little more. I also really hope to self-publish something this year, and if I do, I’ll certainly be blogging about that!

Advertisements

Search Posts by Subject

Search Posts by Subject

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.